What children learn from playing with blocks?

What do children learn from playing with blocks? It’s been more than two hundred years since Friedrich Froebel introduced wooden shapes for children to explore, take apart, and put together. Since then, blocks have been shown to aid the development of young children. Blocks are seen in nearly all early childhood education classrooms and in homes that have young children. While it may seem like children are simply playing with blocks, children learn a variety of skills that shape both their academic and social growth. The reason blocks continue to be a fun toy for kids is that the potential for play and learning is exponential.  Block play builds math, science, reading and writing skills all under the guise of play.